Additives in comestible products tend to be released after having been chewed for a short period of time. For example, the perception of the presence of additives in typical chewing and bubble gum such as flavor or sweeteners tends to diminish substantially after about 7-15 minutes of chewing and is virtually nonexistent after 20-25 minutes.
Extension of sweetness and flavor in chewing or bubble gums has been done by various methods. Sweeteners have been extended by, for example, using high levels of high intensity sweeteners such as aspartame, dispersing sweeteners in hydrophobic matrices, and encapsulating sweeteners, e.g., by mixing them with polyvinyl acetate. Extension of flavors in chewing or bubble gum has been done by methods such as preparing an emulsion of flavorant with a hydrophilic matrix and drying and grinding the emulsion, and by encapsulation of the flavorant and/or sweetener in an elastomeric matrix, polymeric medium, gelatin, wax, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyethylene, fats, starches, sugars, zein, and gums such as gum arabic, xanthan, locust bean.
Encapsulation of additives such as flavors and sweeteners is time-consuming and expensive. In addition, the encapsulation process and parameters can change the character of the flavor (certain peaks present in the gas chromatographic spectrum of the flavor can be lost upon encapsulation) and some techniques of encapsulation can preclude the release of flavor in the final product. Further, encapsulation techniques can be used to prevent or retard the release of the additives, e.g., during the manufacturing process to prevent additive loss due to volatilization.
There is a need in the industry for products having extended release of additives and methods for extending the release of additives which are effective as well as economical. Further, there is a desire to extend the shelf-life of products such as chewing or bubble gum. Flavors in chewing or bubble gum are volatile and often intermingle with other components of the chewing or bubble gum. It is desirable that the flavor be maintained during storage despite exposure to changes in the temperature and humidity.